From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Germany calls for ‘further information’ from Israel on blacklisting of Palestinian groups
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
BERLIN — The German government says it’s “very concerned” by Israel’s designation of six leading Palestinian civil society groups as outlawed terrorist organizations, in a move also criticized by the UN.
The Jewish state says its decision last week was due to their alleged financing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
It accuses the six of working covertly with the leftist terror group, which pioneered plane hijackings in the 1970s to highlight the Palestinian cause and is blacklisted by several Western governments.
“We are very concerned by the Israeli decision,” a German foreign ministry spokeswoman tells reporters, saying that the groups’ placement on a terror list will have “broad political, legal and financial implications” for them.
The German government routinely conducts “reviews of accusations and indications of connections of possible partners to terrorist organizations,” she adds.
“We are waiting for further information from the Israeli government” on its justification for the move, the spokeswoman says.
The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet yesterday called the Israeli decision an attack on freedoms of association, opinion and expression and on the right to public participation.
The Times of Israel Community.